TendoMentis Projects

Monday Monday (duh duh, duh duh duh)...so good to me...

Nick — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:45:00 -0700

Wow...10:30am, and I'm barely feeling any exhaustion at all. This schedule is DEFINITELY much easier on the body during the adjustment period. I DID get up 38 minutes late this morning (confusion with the various alarm clocks I had set), but still starting my day at 3:38am left me plenty of productive time. As expected, turning on all the overhead lights also helped fool my internal clock. How maddening that just by increasing the light level, I can influence myself to not feel tired. It just points out how little control I have over my automatic biological responses.

The time stretching sensation is coming back though. Last night's pre-midnight activities feel so distant now, and my activities from this morning feel...out of focus, as if I'm trying to look at them through a pool of water. I remember doing a lot of chores (yay housework), getting some invoicing done, setting up encodings, etc...but in a very third party way.

Overall, this acclimation is going much more smoothly than my last several attempts/experiments. I'm optimistic about this endeavour. No real change on the TI front though. My mind has likely not adjusted to the different schedule, so I doubt I would see a difference in sleep memory processing and dream creation this early on. At the height of my attempt at the Uberman schedule, I had only just started to see a difference after the first month.

Not even worthy of an epic fail...

Nick — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:37:00 -0700

Yeah, I crashed last night. My core sleep was supposed to be 12am to 3am, but I frakked up and was asleep until 7am. I don't even really remember the 3am wake up; perhaps I need more alarms, staggered a minute apart to get me up and KEEP me up. Perhaps a timer for the lights too, just until I'm adapted to this schedule. Circadian rythms dictated by light intensity might be the biggest weak spot with a polyphasic sleep schedule, so perhaps I should use that weakness to my advantage.

Later today I'll find a way to schedule my TI research into this polyphasic schedule.

Another brutal attempt at an Everyman(ish) polyphasic sleep schedule

Nick — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:38:00 -0700

I'm in my first day now of this latest attempt. I'll update later with details of the schedule. I continue to fail at the polyphasic sleep attempts (at least in the long term), but I MUST find one that works. I need more time.

Everyman

Nick — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:58:00 -0800

In the long interim since my last post, I tragically failed at the trinity schedule and moved back to uberman, but the resumption of my classes made the 4pm and 8pm sleep cycles difficult to nigh impossible (so twice a week I basically had to suffer mild restarts of uberman, which proved to be quite wearing).

Like most of my fellow polyphasic sleepers, I've settled on the everyman schedule. The schedule is:

1 core sleep 11pm-1am (3 hours)
1 nap 6am-6:20am (1/3 hour)
1 nap 12pm-12:20pm (1/3 hour)
1 nap 6pm-6:20pm (1/3 hour)

I now have to sleep 4 hours/day as opposed to the ideal 3 hours/day under uberman or trinity, which in and of itself feels like such a failure on my part.

To do this, I've undergone a "reset", with a full night's sleep last night. First nap at 12pm, and continuing the new schedule from there.

Predictably (although frustratingly so), the uberman schedule is ideal, but largely incompatible with a monophasic world. Everyman is supposedly more compatible (at the sacrifice of losing another hour's worth of productivity in the bargain). This being the same conclusion that many to most of my fellow polyphasic sleepers have reached on their own, it's annoying that I was not able to adapt my professional life to uberman as I had hoped.

Also, uberman is intolerant of illness. Any cold or flu that requires that you rest effectively resets your sleep schedule and one must restart the uberman schedule from the beginning (with all the delicious sleep deprivation that goes with it). Again, everyman is supposedly more tolerant of illness by just extending the core sleep slightly while ill, then gradually reducing it again when back to normal.

Under the uberman schedule, the days all blended together, an effect that I actually found intriguing and rather liked. Under everyman, this does not occur (the core sleep effectively marking an internal "end" of day).

How this will affect my lucid dreaming research is unknown at this point.

Trinity

Nick — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:35:00 -0800

9:35am

I was rather tired after getting up from the 4am cycle, but it did go away. I'm slightly more tired than normal at the moment though (eyes feel heavy), but that isn't anything that I wasn't experiencing under the uberman schedule either. In 2.5 hours, I do get to sleep again (right before the next all day meeting).

It was -4.5C this morning when I got to work, and so overcast that there was almost no sun to speak of. I'm somewhat worried about trying to sleep in my car under these conditons. Another worry, since I've been making it a point to do a weight lift cycle every sleep cycle, my right arm has been throbbing where the old break is (and it's a bone deep throbbing too). I'm worried I'm overtaxing that arm, which sounds absurd when one considers that I broke it 7 years ago. I would hope it would be healed up enough by now to not be so whiny about lifting again.

On a happier note, today is Breann's birthday (happy divisible-by-thirteen day!!!).

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:49:00 -0800

Well, after failing at the new triphasic schedule the last few days, I was ready to switch back to the uberman schedule.

With ideas and support from my fellow members at the Dream Views forums, I've decided to stick it out a little longer, but with a slight modification. My 12pm sleep today was a full hour (and included full on dreaming, just not lucid), as my upcoming 8pm and 4am will be too. Three hours. Three hours out of a twenty-four hour day where I commit to sleep. I can live with that...for now.

There's always the possibility (once stabilized under this triphasic schedule) of dropping the sleep bursts down to 40 minutes.

I've also decided to call this schedule (and by this schedule I mean the one hour asleep for every seven, three times a day) the trinity schedule.

I was going to go with triforce, but that seemed a little too 26-year-old-man-boy-who-is-still-in-love-with-princess-Zelda-ish.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:10:00 -0800

Okay, it's time to mix things up a bit.

While wanting to switch to the Dymaxion schedule, a small part of my pride wants to find my own schedule. To that end, I'll be testing my own schedule.

As yet unnamed, the schedule consists of 40 minute sleep bursts every 8 hours. Since the rest of the world appears to function on an 8 hour rythm (8 hours unconscious followed by two 8 hour burst of activity), I'm hopeful that this schedule might be more compatible with the world at large. This schedule will yield the same net amouont of sleep as the Dymaxion schedule would, just broken differently. I'm also operating under the unfounded (but recently observed) theory that slightly longer sleep bursts yield disproportionately more rest (and subsequently longer periods of possible activity as a result).

For now, the plan is sleep burst at 4am, 12pm, and 8pm. The 8pm burst is my only concern as that may conflict with my DBA classes.

I fully expect this to be a big cup of fail, but what the heck...what's the worst that could happen?

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:29:00 -0800

Despite having had a massive blackout yesterday morning, I'm back on the schedule. Willard, despite wanting to switch to the everyman schedule (or beveryman; the bevery stands for BEVERAGE), is still on the uberman schedule (more or less). Having made it past the initial withdrawl and reset, his body is still on a four hour cycle, so he has decided to attempt to stay on the uberman schedule. I only hope he doesn't suffer for it.

Since beginning this experiment, I had suspended my normal meditation out of a fear that sitting still for prolonged periods might cause additional blackouts (as that is when they have been happening). As of today (well yesterday technically), I am now beginning each sleep cycle by trying to attain a zen state. I figure one of two things will happen; either I'll reach a zen state and hold it until my alarm goes off (yielding all the biological and neurological benefits of meditation, which are quite similar to sleep) or in the course of attaining or holding a zen state I'll fall asleep until my alarm goes off (accomplishing the original end goal).

I wonder if it is possible to completely circumvent sleep altogether using meditation?

That would be cool.

I am concerned that my blackouts might not be all sleep. A significant blackout yesterday morning left me in a position other than I remember being in prior to the blackout. Of course my state of mind at the time may very well be suspect as I also distinctly recall a female voice condemning me for creating a life form (in the shape of a washcloth no less, apparently as a form of subterfuge) to which I was transferring all my sleep. Evidently, creating a life form soley for the purpose of transferring one's sleep to it during conversion to a polyphasic sleep schedule is considered cheating by disembodied female voices.

Don't look at me like that.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:52:00 -0800

I'm on day 12. This is getting easier. I've had blackouts and oversleeping events (but by no more than an hour or so). My body feels fatigued when starting hour four of each cycle, so it appears that my body has adapted to the schedule.

On a side note, Willard will be switching to the everyman schedule. His position is more complicated, both with a job that is less forgiving of a polyphasic sleep schedule and with a wife who is mono/biphasic. It will be harder going the rest of the way by myself, but I think/hope the worst of the transition period is over with.

From here on out, I will make even less frequent updates on this project. As of now, I am proud and grateful to report that my second attempt to switch to the uberman polyphasic sleep schedule is a success. The trick will be to keep it up, you know, for the rest of my life.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:49:00 -0800

More updates:

Willard overslept like a mofo yesterday at the 8am slot, but he is back to the schedule now. The last few days have HURT. The constant mini-blackouts during the 4am-8am death block, the surreal-ness of the world around me when I'm at work....like everyone is talking to me from very far away. It's so hard to believe that it is STILL not quite a week since Willard and I started this.

Willard hit level 80 this morning (can I get a w00t!!), so his short-term goal from this experiment has been achieved. Nevertheless, he committed to continuing it this morning.

I haven't been oversleeping the last two days, but I've been feeling more and more tired too. On the plus side, most of my sleep slots involve some REM now, and I'm generally asleep much sooner than before. The 4am-8am stretch is still the hardest, but last night was the first time that I didn't feel like I was dragging myself around a basement filled with Jello (still so tired, but it was bearable). Not even a week in, and it feels like it's getting easier. I'm trying to imagine a day when I will feel well rested again, but it's hard to right now. Until then, I WILL continue on this. Too much is at stake to let it go again just because I miss sleep.

More and more my bedroom is starting to feel like a guest-bedroom. I've made up the bed and generally cleaned up, and my clothes are still in there...but it's not MY bedroom anymore. I miss it and at the same time feel freed from it, like a jail cell I didn't even know existed...albeit a jail cell with a 4 inch thick piece of space foam on top of an already comfortable mattress.

Sigh.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:15:00 -0800

An interesting side effect of this sleep schedule is that the days quite obviously feel so much longer. It's hard to believe that this project was only engaged last Wednesday. It hasn't even been a week yet, but the lapsed time feels more than a week.

Intellectually, this is a duh, but the reality of it is very interesting to experience.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0

Nick — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:07:00 -0800

So a few updates:

Willard and I are still sticking it out. I had my first 30-minute nap yesterday that included a dream (real dream, not the weird imagery Willard and I have been getting just prior to falling asleep).

Despite the hope that comes with the first dream-laden nap in this project, the last three nights have seen oversleeping on my part. Not much mind you, but any deviation from the schedule isn't good. I'm hoping it is simply because it was the weekend and without the destination of work the following day, the unconscious motivation simply wasn't present. Oddly, I have no recollection of deciding to oversleep. It is very frustrating and discouraging to have hit the same roadbump in the last three nights though.

Nevertheless, the plan prior to engaging this experiment was to stick to the schedule despite whatever falling wagons might occur, and that's what I'm going to do. I suppose if this was truly easy, everyone would already be doing it.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0, Day 3

Nick — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:34:00 -0800

Okay, day three is hard. Willard was a total zombie this morning (but he hit 68, so w00t!!!), and I blacked out for two hours, sitting up, with my laptop in my lap. It didn't feel like sleep, it felt like a long blink. It was a very weird experience. Nevertheless, I'm still continuing (as is Willard as far as I know). My 8am sleep was pleasant, and I'm beginning to feel more and more refreshed from just thirty minutes of down time. Noon was hard to sleep (which I haven't determined yet is due to sleeping in my car or just sleeping in the middle of the day), and I think I only got about five minutes of true sleep.

As of yet, I'm not experiencing any true REM (that I'm aware of anyway) in my sleep bursts. I'm having the strange pseudo-pre-sleep dreams, but nothing else. As I recall, day three was where I failed on the first run of trying to convert to polyphasic sleep. I feel very out of it. Conversations are difficult to follow and events seem to be happening just a little faster than normal.

Also interesting to note: the strange tingling sensation in the back of my head is still present from a few days ago. It comes and goes, but this is the longest instance of it continuing that I'm aware of. I don't know what it signifies, or even if it's related to this project.

Polyphasic sleep experiment version 2.0, Day 2

Nick — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:57:00 -0800

Willard crashed at noon, but he's back up and grinding away on the road to 80. I parked somewhere and slept (or tried too anyway...I only slept about half the time I think, it took me that long to come down).

Now that Willard and I are both on the schedule, I won't need to post updates for the little things. I'll attempt to at the very least keep up a summary at the "end" of the "day" and will note any major events of interest in this project.